Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown accused Burger King of ducking its responsibility to help pay for the public infrastructure that allowed it to succeed, and encouraged consumers to abandon Burger King in favor of Wendy’s or White Castle, “two Ohio companies that haven’t abandoned their country.”

Brown also proposed “a long term solution that lowers corporate tax rates while instituting a country-by-country global minimum tax,” an approach that blends elements of proposals from both parties.

Republicans have argued that corporate inversions are a natural response to high corporate tax rate, so Brown’s plan calls for making the tax code “competitive with the average of countries that are part of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).”

At the same time, Brown’s global minimum tax rate seems designed to appease Democrats, since it could potentially involve raising taxes on companies that are located in low-tax countries. Although he did not give details about how a global minimum tax could be created, Brown said it would involve “establishing a flat minimum rate that companies pay in each country in which they do business.”

However, executives at Burger King argue that the move is not motivated by taxes, but rather is an acknowledgement of the primary role that Tim Horton’s will play in the combined company.

“This is not a tax-driven deal,” Burger King executive chairman Alex Behring told the Los Angeles Times. In a conference call with reporters, CEO Daniel Schwartz added, “We don’t expect there to be meaningful tax savings,” from the move.

Although Buffett has long been considered an ally of the Obama administration, his involvement in the Burger King deal puts him at odds with the White House, which has labeled companies that relocate overseas for tax purposes “unpatriotic” and “corporate deserters.” (RELATED: US Tax Code Causes Businesses to Flee Overseas)

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].